More help and links

Suman has started Tsunami Help India where one can publish any related information via email.

Sulekha has also started a fund along with AID.

This from BBC: The Indian government has announced plans for installing a tsunami early warning system in the wake of the Indian Ocean disaster.

Google has this page with links on how you can help with relief.

The World carries an audio report by Clark Boyd on how survivors of Asia’s tsunamis are using weblogs to help deal with the aftermath of the disaster. The audio transcript is here.

Ramdhan is also collecting donations online.

And according to this news report, India is not refusing foreign aid, but just asking other countries to wait a while till as the funds in the Indian kitty is yet to be utlised.

This NBC5 article reports that officials in the Maldives said the very existence of their island nation is at risk after Sunday’s tsunami. Quote: “The country’s leading environmentalist said the Maldives are ‘the world’s lowest-lying country’ — with the average island only three feet above sea level. Although its death toll is reported in the dozens, rather than the thousands, a government spokesman said, ‘Life as we know it in this country is in some parts gone’.”

Another interesting story on animals and their sixth sense.

An article about how Indian officials might have bungled an alert opportunity. A fax by the Indian Met department was sent at about 8.45 am – but to the wrong person. The country’s top science and technology official told a paper that his department learnt of the tsunami strike from the television. The Crisis Management Group, India’s main emergency response body, only met at 1pm, much after the devastation.

Meanwhile, according to sources, the death count, which has soared past 77,000, might exceed 100,000.

UPDATE: Pallavi has a detailed post about volunteers from Bangalore heading out the affected area and what they are collecting. Please visit this link.